By Stephen D. Riley
AFRO Staff Writer
(Courtesy Photo/mghelmets.com)
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(November 1, 2009) - For three quarters, it looked like the Coolidge High School Colts would get the one win they needed to get into the state playoffs, facing a home game against the Dunbar Crimson Tide. But that was before Olu Izegwire’s two fourth-quarter touchdowns for Dunbar dashed Coolidge’s hopes in a 14-7 loss on Oct. 30.
With Coolidge leading 7-0, Izegwire caught a 20-yard pass along the right side of the field and raced another 20 yards into the end zone to tie the score with 8:18 remaining. Before the sophomore running back could even catch a breather, he was back on the field as a fumbled snap by Coolidge set the Dunbar up with excellent field position on the Coolidge 31-yard line.
Two plays later, Izegwire took a reverse handoff and jetted 17 yards to the end zone to put Dunbar up 14-7 and quiet a loud and rambunctious crowd.
A subsequent turnover on downs gave Dunbar the ball back, and Coolidge would never get another opportunity as the Tide ran out the remaining five minutes of the game.
A second-quarter touchdown catch by senior tight end Michael Oliver had the Colts’ sideline feeling good and the Coolidge crowd feeling even better, as the home fans serenaded their team with loud chants. But after Dunbar’s second touchdown in less than two minutes gave them the lead, the only chants being shouted were those from Dunbar’s sideline.
For Dunbar (9-1), the win gave them their ninth straight victory and will guarantee them their 12th straight playoff appearance in mid-November. For Coolidge (5-4), the loss means that next week’s home game against Cardozo High School (2-5) will be nothing more than a farewell for its seniors.
“Mathematically, we’re out of it,” said Coolidge offensive line coach “Tweet” Williams. “This was our opportunity today with a win but we lost so Wilson (High School) automatically gets the bye.”
Reflecting on a wasted opportunity, Williams said he understands where his team went wrong and is focused on next season.
“A lot of these guys don’t know how to win,” Williams said. “They had seven points and they [were] getting excited. [But] you’re playing a good team, you don’t get excited over seven points.”